By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-12-22 08:32:32 | Word Count: 664
Social media laws / guidelines are still pretty murky at best at most companies. While many corporations are aware that they need to have a social media presence, that they need to wage social media marketing campaigns, and that they have to actively manage their company’s online social reputation, very few are wading in to take advantage of the many benefits that could come from allowing their employees access to social media sites while at work.
This is a shame because the fear of security breaches and lowered productivity can be easily addressed. While Old Spice’s “Man Your man Could Smell Like” is making waves across YouTube and resurrecting the brand from a sleepy old man’s cologne to a relevant, trendy fragrance for young jocks, your company might still be worried that all your employees are busy doing is watching the clip over and over again on YouTube. The point is, people use social networking sites whether you want them to or not. It is time to face the fact and use it to your company’s advantage.
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Most employers will readily admit that their most loyal customers are their own employees, yet they are unwilling to allow employees to spread the word about them in a way that naturally employs the principles of SEO. The truth is, most employees are already dedicated advocates of your brand, they just aren’t able to express it until they leave work. If you implement a Social Media Policy with our help, you will be able to address all your concerns and reap the advantages.
Optimum7 is ready to partner with legal counsel to analyze how best to protect your company from libelous claims, loss of sensitive information, protection of intellectual property and malicious attacks from current or former employees. We can develop a guideline advising your employees what they are permitted to say about the company in the online format. Once you have these protections in place, you can comfortably allow access to your employees to use social media sites and reap the benefits.
The concern that they will not work as hard for you if they are able to post tweets as they work is just not supported by the evidence. Happy employees are more productive, and the more tools they have been granted access to (such as the internet), the smarter they work. Many tools that were once contraband in the workplace, such as personal laptops, company cell phones, and internet use, have all improved productivity rather than lower it as expected. Giving your employees access to social media sites will be the same.
Lastly, your brand will have the advantage of all its most loyal advocates posting daily news about it, which will in turn be seen by more people as these posts make their way to the pages of “friends” and “friends of friends”. It will also provide a steady stream of fresh content for search engine spiders to pick up in organic result listings.
Don’t be left behind, contact Optimum7 today to draft social media laws/rules/ guidelines so your company can grant social media access to its employees. You can call us at 1-800-736-9618.
